Drug Rehab Centers Fairbanks AK

The distinction between physical dependence and addiction is separated using the term physical dependence for a narrower, older definition and the new definition of addiction. Physical dependence is mostly described as a simple cellular adaption of a substance to the body. It especially concen- trates on the neurons as the communication center and the chemical which the brain is influenced by. Read on for more.

For thousands of years Alaska’s first people, jointly called Alaska Natives, made their livelihood as subsistence hunters and fishers (Alaska’s History: The People, Land and Events of the North Country, 1993). In Alaska’s interior region the subsistence traditions of our ancestors were forever changed by the first successful expedition into the Interior by Lt. Henry Allen in 1885 and the discovery of gold in the Tanana Valley surrounding Fairbanks. The discovery of gold brought thousands of non-Native people to the area and the Alaska Native traditional subsistence lifestyle began to give way to one marked by permanent villages, which today rely in large part on a cash economy.

The increasing reliance of these villages on the cash economy has forced many Alaska Natives to leave their ancestral homelands for Alaska’s urban areas, including Fairbanks, to seek employment. In 1960, only 12% of Alaska Natives lived in urban areas. By 1990 the percent of Alaska Natives living in urban areas increased to 44%. Population changes between 1980 and 1990 reflect the highest rate of Native in-migration to urban centers. In 1990, for instance, 11% of the population of the Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area (Alaska’s Interior) migrated to other parts of Alaska (Alaska Department of Labor, 1994).

The experiences of the first Alaska Natives to move to the city of Fairbanks were marked by discrimination. Many Alaska Native men serving in the United States Army during World War II at Ladd Airfield Base near Fairbanks were barred from Fairbanks stores, hotels, restaurants, and bars. At that time “No Indians” signs and attitudes were an integral part of the Alaska Native experience in urban areas.

By the mid-1960s most of the signs had come down, but Alaska Natives continued to find that they were welcome in few public places. “Even people who didn’t drink had no place to go except the bars,” said Poldine Carlo, Athabascan Native Elder and one of FNA’s charter members, when asked why she started FNA. “Because there was nowhere else for them to go, we started inviting people over to our house. For two or three winters, we even had different village mushers and their dogs staying here in the woods behind our house.”

It was these experiences that led Poldine Carlo and others, including her husband Bill and Ralph Perdue, Morris Thompson, Margie Wright, John Sackett, and Max Huhndorf to organize an association for urban Alaska Natives. While the Civil Rights Movement was shaking the nation, Alaska Natives in Fairbanks started meeting around Poldine’s kitchen table to design an association that would bring Alaska Native people living in Fairbanks together; an association that would give them a sense of belonging where there was none; an association that would speak on behalf of Alaska Natives, who had little political clout; and an association that would meet their cultural, social, and economic needs.

In 1967 FNA was incorporated as a nonprofit under the laws of the State of Alaska. Membership then as it is now was open to Alaska Natives and American Indians of one-quarter blood or greater who once a year elect a nine-person board of directors. Today FNA is a powerful and influential Native American voice in Alaska. Over the years our organization has changed public policies that were discriminatory to our people and our programs have helped countless people find new jobs, maintain sobriety, celebrate their culture, and receive an education.

As FNA continues to build a stronger community, we will hold true to our mission “to provide quality services in a professional manner for our membership and the greater Fairbanks community.”

Communication of the Addict Brain

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Communication of the Addict Brain

Karla Kiecolt-Blasdell

Thursday, January 03, 2008

The distinction between physical dependence and addiction is separated using the term physical dependence for a narrower, older definition and the new definition of addiction. Physical dependence is mostly described as a simple cellular adaption of a substance to the body. It especially concen- trates on the neurons as the communication center and the chemical which the brain is influenced by. In contrast, addiction is known to be a complex, lifelong disease of one''s entire self.

In studying human brain activity we have learned communication and impulses are carried from one cell to another. There are billions of nerve cells in the brain. These are called neurons. Most neurons have one branch that carry impulses away from the cell body. This branch is called an axon.

The outer part of the neuron where the branching of the axon begins is called the dendrite. A single neuron may have as many as 10,000 dendrites.

The dendrites then can receive signals from the axons from thousands of different neurons. Simply breaking down how neurons work in the brain focuses on the synapse, the space in the brain where the impulses pass between the cells. The synapse is tiny and continuously active. The activity is affected by both abusive drugs and psychoactive medications. The chemicals enter the bloodstream, pass through the blood-brain barrier and become part of the chemical bath that reaches all the synapses in the brain.

Abusive drugs fit both of these categories. Amphetamines and cocaine fall into the stimulant category and are primarily excitatory, whereas, alcohol and opiates fall into the depressant category and are primarily inhibitory.

Addiction is more than a chemical reaction in the brain. It also relies on three types of behavior-affecting stimuli described by psychologists. They

are: positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement, and punishment. A good feeling is positive reinforcement, relief of a painful experience is con- sidered a negative reinforcement. The punishment is a consequence of a negative behavior. All three of these behaviors have direct application to the experience of addiction. Abused drugs directly affect the synapses in the pleasure centers of the brain. There are many activities and substances that impact the pleasure-producing neurons. When referring to addiction it principally involves two features: loss of control (unmanageable), dis- honesty (denial). Without these two features addiction cannot exist.

People who are addicted almost act as if they are hypnotized. They cannot tell you why they continue their use of drugs and alcohol despite the negative impact on their lives. Even though the loss over pleasure- driven behaviors is alw...

Although the idea of an online video game addiction may sound like a stretch to some, consider those addicted to gambling. Some have gone as far as to wear diapers to casinos in order to keep playing longer. College funds gambled away and broken families are very real results of a gambling addiction, a behaviour some experts say is being rivaled by gaming addictions.